


Moonacre

by hyperheed



Category: The Secret of Moonacre (2008)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:13:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27287722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyperheed/pseuds/hyperheed
Summary: Maria never ran into Loveday and left Moonacre. The resulting curse eliminated the entire de Noir bloodline and left Maria as the only one to carry on the Merryweather legacy.Over 100 years later, Jane is the last Merryweather and therefore the last Moon Princess.To restore the legacy of both the Merryweathers and the de Noirs she travels back in time to guide Maria on her path to lift the curse and save the valley.After the events of the movie Jane decided to stay in Moonacre a while longer, knowing fully well that she should return to her own time once more but she can’t bring herself to leave just yet.Torn between her own reality and her new friends as well as her blossoming feelings for Robin, she must decide whether to go or to stay and leave her old life behind.This takes place AFTER the movie.
Relationships: Robin de Noir/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

The door to the library gave an agonizing groan as it was pushed open.  
“You arrived quite early.”, she didn’t even look up from her papers.  
“I s’pose.”, Robin mumbled, a little unsure of how to act, as he closed the door behind him.  
“I’m surprised you didn’t go to find Maria straight away. If you’re looking for her though, she’s-“  
“I’m not!”, he interrupted her, stepping closer to the desk she was working on before sitting down in one of the empty chairs.  
The brunette raised an eyebrow at him before returning her attention to her notes.  
“You must be quite desperate to escape her shenanigans then, if you really rather come to me out of all people. “, the corner of her mouth twitched nearly unnoticeable.  
Robin crossed his arms over his chest.  
“Stop teasing me.”, he mumbled.  
She looked at him through her lashes.  
“Am I teasing you?”  
“Yes.”  
“How so?”. She still had the quill in her hand, ready to jot down whatever crossed her mind once more.  
“You just do.”, he couldn’t stare at her as intently as he wanted to due to the warmth that spread over his entire face and was slowly eating away at his confidence.  
“That’s not a real answer.”  
A sly grin was now plastered on her face; combined with the tone of her voice, an indicator that she was mocking him. Yet she returned her focus back to her work once again.  
“It is. It’s just not the one you want” he replied as firmly as possible.  
“No, you just can’t give me a real answer because you either won’t tell me or you don’t even know yourself.”  
His face went blank. Of course she had to see through him like that.  
For a second, he studied her face trying to figure out just how much she already knew about his current predicament.  
No, there was no way she was able to know.  
His guard was kept up well enough that he should be surprised if anyone knew that he actually started to really like the young woman before him.  
He frowned slightly when he thought about how that feeling was most likely one-sided.

Sure, their first interaction included both of them throwing death threats at each other, but he liked to think that; even though they had a rocky start; they actually grew quite close during their adventure to help Maria lift the curse off the valley.  
But no matter how hard he tried, how tough and independent he acted, he always felt like she only really saw him as a child; one of Marias friends, nothing more, nothing less; and it bothered him to no end.

He huffed in annoyance, placed his arms on the desk in front of him and leaned forward.  
The quill in her hand stopped abruptly and she raised her eyes to meet his.  
She obviously waited for him to say something, but he was at a loss of words.  
He wanted to argue with her, wanted to prove her wrong but anything he could come up with would just prove her point.  
His mouth felt incredibly dry as he continued to stare at her.  
“Well…?” she said expectantly, her eyebrow raised in question.  
He opened his mouth slightly, but he just couldn’t think of anything witty to say.  
Since when was he so speechless? 

Just then, the library door was slammed open and he jumped in his seat, eliciting a small chuckle from the young woman in front of him.  
“Robin! There you are!” Maria exclaimed with joy.  
“I was wondering where you were hiding since your father already arrived a while ago.”  
Maria plopped down in another empty chair.  
“What are you two doing?” she looked between her two friends.  
,,Just having a nice chat. Robin here had quite a lot to say.” The young woman said softly with a mocking undertone while organizing her papers and stacking them neatly.  
“Oh really? What was it? It wouldn’t be fair just to tell Jane, I want to know too!” Maria said eagerly.  
“Well… uhm. Just a hunt me, um-, and my father were on a few days ago. I’d just bore you with the details, I’m sure…” he stuttered.  
“Oh no. I want to hear all about it. Did you catch something?” Maria placed her elbows on the table and rested her head on her hands, looking at Robin expectantly.  
“Yes, go ahead and tell her all about it.” Jane said while getting up from her chair; picking up her papers and quill as she went.  
Robin stared at her with wide eyes.  
,,I’ll see you at dinner.” she winked at him and left the library with a smug grin on her face.

She felt his eyes bore right into her head as she sat at the dinner table and conversed with Miss Heliotrope. Sure, it was quite mean to put him on the spot like that and then leaving him to make up an entire story just to satisfy Marias curiosity, but it was still all in good fun.  
She laughed about something Miss Heliotropes said before returning her attention to her own plate.

As she glanced up to look at Robin, who sat across from her, she could indeed confirm that he had been staring at her with a rather grumpy expression on his face, indicating that he didn’t find the situation quite as funny as she did.  
She gave him a lighthearted grin before taking a sip from her glass.  
Right in that moment, Robin scooted his foot forward to hit the tip of her shoe, not hard enough to hurt, but to startle her enough to nearly spill her drink.  
She glared at him slightly as he snickered.  
Oh well, two could play that game.

She waited till his attention was elsewhere again, probably thinking that she wouldn’t get revenge on him; or at least not until after dinner.  
Only watching him from the corner of her eye, she tried to seem as invested as possible in the conversation she had with Miss Heliotrope as to not raise any suspicion.  
He really thought he might have gotten away with it before he felt the sharp pain on his left shin and nearly choked on his food.  
“Are you alright?” Loveday asked beside him.  
He coughed lightly.  
“Yes, I’m good.”  
Jane was still deeply invested in her conversation with the governess as he glared at her.  
Only the small tug at the corner of her mouth gave her away.  
Oh, this meant war...

They continued to slightly kick each other under the table, stepping on each other’s toes and occasionally making faces at each other when no one else paid any attention to them.  
But unbeknownst to the two young adults, Maria witnessed the entire ordeal from her spot at the table and hid her grin in her glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> special thanks and credit to jannieka394 for helping me put all of this together <3


	2. Chapter 2

“That wasn’t very ladylike of you, you know.”   
“Well, I never said I was a lady, now, did I?”  
Robin chuckled as he sat next to her on the bench in the garden.  
“I always believed you Merryweathers where all too stuck up to have some fun once in a while…” he drifted off while leaning back.  
“Excuse me? We Merryweathers take huge pride in our stuck-up-ness, thank you very much.” She said in an exaggerated voice, making the boy beside her laugh.  
“And I’m not really that much of a Merriweather anyway. It’s just a bloodline, not a cult.” she added.  
“Oh really? I’d never noticed.”   
“Hey!” she swatted her hand at him, trying to knock his hat off of his head in the process.  
She failed the first time, as he was quick enough to dodge her hand and as she sat up a little to get closer, he caught her hand with ease.  
,,Na-ah.” He said cheekily.  
She tried to wiggle her hand free which only made him tighten his grip on her wrist while also being careful to not hurt her.

She stopped her movements and glared at him playfully.  
,,Let go.” She said firmly.  
“No.”  
“Let” she tugged at her hand”  
“Go” she tugged again.  
“What’s the magic word?” he crocked his head to one side, grinning at her.  
“Now”   
“No, I don’t think so.”  
She sighed in frustration and tried to pry his fingers off with her other free hand. He was quick to take a hold of that one as well and held both of her hands securely around her wrists.  
The look on her face was dumbfounded as she stared at him again.  
“Really?”  
“I’m still waiting for the magic word, that’s all you have to say and I let go.”  
For a second, she thought about giving in, saying please, and letting him have his way, but she was stubborn enough not to; she also wanted to know where this was going.  
“No” she said flatly.  
“You can’t keep that up forever anyway.” She added.  
“Are you sure about that?”  
“Yes.”  
“Well see…” he smirked as she settled back to her original position as good as possible, her hands still held tightly.

“What did you tell Maria anyway? About your great hunt, I mean?” Jane asked after a while.  
“I just started to tell her a story that happened years ago. I mean, how would she know…” he chuckled at the end.  
“You still put me on the spot though.”  
“That was the entire idea behind it.”  
“Ouch..”   
“Oh come one, stop pretending that you actually suffered. It was fun.”, she would have slapped his arm playfully if she could.  
“For you, maybe.”  
“Did I make you embarrassed? “ , she asked with a pout.

He was quiet and when he still didn’t say anything in return a few minutes later she looked at him quizzically.  
“What’s on your mind?” she asked in a tone that indicated that she wasn’t joking and was truly genuine.  
“Why?” he looked at her from the corner of his eye.  
“Something is on your mind, I can tell. Do you want to talk about it?”

There was a small frown on her face, letting him know that she was actually worried about him.  
Robin swallowed.  
“No….why.. should there be something wrong? Everything is fine.”  
That wasn’t convincing, he had to admit.  
“Well… do you want to talk to someone else about it?” she suggested.  
He shook his head.  
“I said it’s alright, there is nothing wrong.”   
Who was he even trying to convince at this point, her or himself?

“I always thought you’d be a good liar, but you really aren’t” she laughed slightly.  
He looked at her again.  
She had returned her gaze back to the garden; to the flowers that were in full bloom, the small fountain that stood off to the side and the two birds that bathed in it.

The sun hasn’t fully set and bathed the entire valley in a golden light and gave Jane an ethereal glow. He was absolutely mesmerized, and he was sure that he never, in his entire life, saw anything as breathtaking as her.

He shook his head, no, he had to stop thinking about her like that. In the end he would only ever see her as a friend, a little brother even, but never like that. She was older than him, barely two years, but enough to make her so much more mature than him, so much more grown up, and so much less likely to have any romantic feelings for him.

He sighed and stared down at her hands which he still held securely in his lap.  
Her skin was soft in contrast to his, which ironically reminded him of the stark contrast between him and her in general.

Without realizing what he was doing he started softly caressing her hand with his thumb. His heart aching in a bittersweet way.  
He also didn’t realize that Jane had turned her attention back to him and looked at him with a confused expression before it was replaced with one of pure realization.

A fond smile graced her face as she pulled one hand away from him but kept the other hand where it was, before settling with her head on his shoulder.

His eyes were wide like a startled deer and he tensed.  
Only when Jane entwined her fingers with his was when he released a breath, he didn’t know he was holding. He tried to relax a little more to make her a little bit more comfortable as well.  
His entire face felt like it was on fire. The first and last time he had been this close to her was when he was hauling her into a prison cell. He faintly remembers the scent of vanilla and coffee that had been faint back then but flooded his entire being in that very moment.   
He closed his eyes and tried to sort his thoughts.  
“I…. really don’t want you to think of me as a child…”  
“I don’t.”  
Her voice was soft and soothing, and oh so close that it made a small shiver run down his spine. He prayed to every god there was that she couldn’t hear his heart beating in his chest.  
“But…”  
She lifted her head off his shoulder to look at him; which disappointed him a little.  
“I’m only teasing you Robin. Of course, you’re not a little child, you’re young, but no child anymore.” She chuckled lightly.  
“Is that really why you’re being so weird lately?”   
He hung his head.  
“Oh Robin.” she laughed.  
“You truly are adorable.”  
He jerked his head up.  
“I am not!” he argued.  
“Oh but you are, don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” she giggled.  
“I mean, no one would believe me anyway if I tell them that the great Robin de Noir is an adorable softy.”   
Before he knew what was happening, she had pressed a light kiss to his cheek and stood up.  
,,I might have to tell Loveday though, I’m sure she would love to know.”, she teased him before running off.  
It took him a second or two to regain his composure before he dashed after her.  
“No, you won’t!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> special thanks and credit to jannieka394 for helping me put all of this together <3


	3. Chapter 3

“I’ll think of something.” she mumbled slightly agitated.  
Jane sat in the library of Moonacre manor like on most afternoons while spending her time with writing. This time however her writing was sloppy, the paper ripped in several places where she furiously crossed out a failed attempt at finding the right words.  
“You shouldn’t take too long though or time will end up making that decision for you.”  
Loveday sat across from her in the same spot that Robin occupied just yesterday.  
“Would you hold it against me if I told you that I really don’t know what to do?”  
“No, of course not. Even though I personally find it very interesting how you claim that you haven’t made a decision, yet you’ve been writing letters to Maria and Robin the past few days in preparation of your departure.”, the older woman said knowingly.  
“I wouldn’t be able to leave without giving them a proper explanation. They deserve it. But it’s so hard…”, she trailed off.  
“It’s because you don’t want to le-”  
“I have to.”, Jane interrupted.  
“I can’t stay here and pretend like everything is fine. I have a life to get back to, no matter if I want to or not.”, she hung her head slightly and sighed.  
“It’s not my place to stay and I just want both of them to understand that there is nothing they, or anyone else can do about it.”  
Loveday reached over the table and grabbed both of the brunette’s hands, making her drop the quil onto the unfinished letter.  
“You can stay.”, she said with a soft smile.   
“This is not a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is your decision, and you are free to do however you please.”

Loveday was right, of course she was, but Jane couldn’t bring herself to truly accept that.  
Her heart ached just thinking about leaving her new friends behind in favour of a life where there wasn’t even anyone to miss her at all. But she did what she came here to do and now she had to leave again, it was as simple as that.   
Would Maria be mad? Probably.   
Would Robin be heartbroken? Definitely.  
She sighed again.   
Of course she had noticed the change in his behavior. He wasn’t wearing his feelings on his sleeve but he was also terrible at hiding his nervousness, the blush on his cheeks when she teased him or the way he looked at her when he thought she wouldn't notice.   
She had already seen this kind of behavior before, not that he would know, and was painfully aware of the crush he was slowly developing on her.  
Poor Robin…  
It was painfully obvious that his father treated him horribly, even after everything that has happened since she came here.   
She had hoped that there was something that she could do for him, something to get him out of his father’s grasp, but one look at her wrist and the golden bracelet that adorned it was enough to remind her that she was running out of time..  
The same golden bracelet with the small rubies that had brought her here in the first place, was glowing less and less everyday, indicating that its power was slowly fading. Soon it wouldn’t be able to transport her back at all, and, as Loveday said, would finally make that dreaded decision for her.

“You know, I still don’t know why you even bother wearing that piece of scrap on your face.”   
Robin flinched at the sudden sound of Jane's voice next to him before glaring at the young woman as was casually leaning against a tree.  
She laughed.  
“Did I really startle you? I thought we agreed to meet here?”, she chuckled.  
“Well I didn’t think you’d be here already, especially not hiding behind a tree.”, he exclaimed.  
“I wasn’t hiding.”  
“But speaking of hiding, what is that thing even supposed to accomplish?”, she gestured to his face.  
“I mean, it’s not even a good disguise. If anything, your unruly hair and questionable fashion choices give you away instantly.”  
He rolled his eyes and pulled the fabric from his face.   
The feathers… She was definitely talking about the feathers.  
“Oh come on, you know I’m just joking.”, she said as she walked up to him.  
He huffed and started walking further into the forest.   
Why was he in such a bad mood?  
Jane frowned before it dawned on her. With a concerned expression she caught up with Robin and fell into step next to him.  
“What did he do now?”, she asked, looking at him expectantly.  
“It’s nothing…”, he mumbled.  
“Robin.”   
“It’s alright.”, he paused before adding: “It’s nothing I can’t handle anyway.”  
She stopped abruptly and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket to make him stop and face her.  
“Did he hurt you?”  
He averted her gaze.  
“No.”  
“Really?”, she asked quietly.  
He remained silent.

Jane shook her head.  
“I’m sick and tired of having to send you back to him all the time.”   
“It’s okay.”   
“No it’s not!”, she grabbed the sides of his face as softly as possible to make him look at her.  
“Robin, the way he treats you is absolutely disgusting. You’re his son for crying out loud!”, she sighed in frustration,  
“Look, I know blood is thicker than water but that doesn't mean that you should put yourself through hell every single day just because he’s your father. You don’t deserve the pain he causes you.”  
Robin swallowed hard, his eyes still cast to the ground and his hands clenched into fists at his side.  
Jane looked at him for a few seconds before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug.  
She could feel him tense up before he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her as well, pressing her into him like he was terrified she would otherwise disappear.  
A few silent sobs shook his body as she tenderly stroked his back and tangled her other hand into the mess of curls at the back of his head.  
“It’s alright.”, she whispered which made him tighten his grip around her a little more.

“No.”  
Benjamin paced around in his study.  
“What?”, Jane said with a dumbfounded expression.  
“Are you out of your mind? He’s a de Noir!”, he threw his hands in the air in desperation.  
“You do realize so is your wife, right?”   
“That’s something completely different.”, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.  
“Look, if Robin stays here without his fathers approval, Coeur de Noir will be right on our doorstep not soon after and he will be furious.”  
“Let that be my concern then.”, she said matter-of-factly.  
“You say that like it’s the easiest thing in the world.”, Benjamin shook his head.  
“Isn’t there an alternative?”  
“We could kill his father.”, Jane said blankly without missing a beat.  
He was taken aback by her answer.  
“You can’t be serious…”  
“You wanted an alternative, you didn’t specify that it had to be a good one too.”  
Benjamin opened his mouth to argue but Jane cut him off.  
“Look, I understand your concern, I really do. The thing is, I’m not proposing this idea because of a whim, it’s because it’s the only option I can think of right now to get Robin away from his father.  
To be honest I’m only asking you out of courtesy, the second I propose my idea to Loveday this matter is settled anyway.”  
Her words were final, Benjamin knew that much. She was right when she said that Loveday would agree with her. Robin was her little brother after all and she knew all too well what their father was capable of.  
“Alright...”, he finally gave in.  
Jane was about to silently celebrate her victory when he added: “But if Coeur de Noir is tearing down the front door I expect you to resolve the matter”.   
She wasn’t sure if she would get out of a confrontation like that alive but it didn’t matter to her because she was doing it for Robin after all.  
Her face fell the very second she finished her thought.  
Oh no...

“I heard what you and uncle Benjamin were talking about. Are you really bringing Robin to the manor?”, Maria said while lounging in one of the chairs in the main hall. Clearly, she had been waiting for her.  
“I told you multiple times that you’re not supposed to eavesdrop on people.”, Jane sighed.  
“Why do you want to bring him here?”, the young girl kept questioning.  
“I thought you heard what we said, you should know.”  
“Well, I didn’t hear all of it…”, she trailed off.  
“But I’m curious!”  
Maria didn’t actually need a proper explanation. She had her own theories regarding the current events.  
“You want him here because you like him?”  
the young girl asked out of the blue.  
Jane thought she misheard her question but the eager look on the red-heads face confirmed that she did, in fact, understand her just right.  
“Well, mostly because I want him to be safe and-“  
“So you care about him?”, Maria interrupted.  
“I... guess?”, Jane had a slight suspicion as to where this conversation was going.  
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Maria asked with big eyes, waiting for Jane to confirm her theory.  
“Well, love is such a big word. It is not something to throw around lightly. Love takes time to blossom and to grow and-“  
“I knew it!”, Maria exclaimed, clasping her hands together in glee.  
Jane froze, her hands still mid-air from waving them around during her explanation.  
“Loveday will be delighted to find out.” And with that Maria turned on her heels and dashed off towards the stairs.  
The brunette dropped her arms back to her side with a sigh.  
Why was she even trying to argue with a 14 year old smartass....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> special thanks and credit to jannieka394 for helping me put all of this together <3


	4. Chapter 4

Coward.  
Robin lost count of how often that word crossed his mind ever since he agreed to stay at Moonacre manor.   
He couldn’t quite understand why he even agreed to it in the first place.   
Right now he was running away, to hide in the same house; with the same family that he had despised for so many years; and to hide from his father out of all people.  
It made him feel sick, especially since he knew exactly what his father would say to him at this very moment.  
“Are you alright back there?”   
Robin hadn’t even noticed that he had tightened his grip around her waist while he was deep in thought.   
“You’ve been awfully quiet the entire way”, she turned her head a little in his direction.  
“I’m good.”, he mumbled, just barely loud enough for her to hear over the steady sound of her horse’s steps on the gravely road.  
“I’ve heard that before.”, she sighed before letting the topic slide.

It was already dark when they met in the forest close to the de Noir castle, since it was easier for Robin to sneak out without drawing too much attention.  
He had been quiet the entire journey.  
She knew he was worried about how his father would react once he found out that his son was missing, both of them were sure that he could burn down the entire manor if he wanted to.  
Jane was adamant to not let anything like that; not even something close to it, happen.  
She had promised Robin that she wouldn’t let his father hurt him anymore and she intended to keep her promise.

It had crossed her mind that he was rather reluctant to accept her offer. The fact that there was no other real option to get out of his current predicament was probably the reason that still persuaded him in the end, yet she knew that he was agitated and was fighting an inner turmoil and it pained her to watch him struggle so much.  
She let go of the reins with one hand and grabbed one of his that were still placed around her waist before giving it a soft squeeze.   
There was no way she could just make everything that troubled him disappear but she wanted him to know that he could always count on her.

“Well, I wouldn’t necessarily call it fit for a king, but it sure does the job.”, she pulled the white sheet that had protected it from dust off of the bed.  
“And you have a much nicer view than I do so I am, in fact, quite jealous.”  
“Why did Sir Benjamin even agree to let me stay in the first place.”, Robin asked while looking around the candle lit room that would be his new home for the time being.  
“You’d be surprised at how persuasive I am.”, she grinned at him cheekily.  
“Well… with me, I mean Loveday… but in my defense, I only had to mention her name and Benjamin agreed immediately.”  
Robin chuckled.  
“You’re unbelievable.”  
“Hey!”, she grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it at him, hitting him in the chest.  
“Is that your way of saying thank you? Wow, I’m really impressed.”  
He looked at the pillow that now lay on the floor before looking back up at Jane with a grin.  
Her face fell.  
“Oh-oh..”, she immediately dashed to the other side of the bed to hide before he had picked up the pillow and was aiming it in her direction.  
He wouldn’t be able to actually hit her from his current position, so he made his way on the other side only to realize that she had disappeared.   
Robin dropped to his knees to look under the bed, puzzled as to how she was able to get away so quickly.  
To his surprise he wasn’t met with her hiding under the bed per se but rather with the sight of her already standing on the other side again.  
He had been tricked.  
As he sat upright again he was met with another pillow straight to his face.  
It fell to the floor with a soft thud before Jane burst out laughing.  
He blinked a few times, still astounded that he fell for such a cheap gimmick.  
“Impressive.”, he finally said while getting back to his feet.  
She raised her arms in defense.  
“You know, I do accept your surrender, so let’s just not get carried away.”, she slowly backed away towards the door.  
“Oh, will you look at that.”, she pretended to look at an imaginary pocket watch that she pulled out of her pocket.  
“It’s quite late, we should really go to bed, alright.”  
She darted out of his room but came back just a few seconds later with a wide smile on her face.  
“Goodnight Robin, I see you in the morning,”  
He smiled back at her,  
“Goodnight.”

He didn’t know how long he lay awake, staring at the ceiling of his room.  
Robin was exhausted but yet he couldn’t get any sleep.  
He felt completely out of place and everything around him felt strange and alien.  
There wasn’t a moment in his life where he had ever felt as lost as he did right now.  
Shouldn’t he be happy? Glad? Pretty much anything other than what he was feeling right now?  
But he thought about his father’s wrath and what he would do if he found him here, hiding behind the Merryweathers like a wuss. 

Robin was tossing and turning, his mind racing, everything was just so overwhelming.  
He sat up and ran his hands over his face brushing his curls away from his eyes.   
There was no way he would get any sleep, or even anything that resembled rest.  
His body acted on his own accord as he swung his legs off the bed and got up.  
What was he supposed to do?   
Maybe Jane would be able to help.  
As he finished that thought he was already standing in front of his door.  
His hand hovered over the door handle.  
He really shouldn’t bother her, especially in the middle of the night. She was probably sleeping already, maybe she would get mad if he woke her up.  
Robin shook his head.  
No, he should probably just suck it up and go back to bed, that would be the best, yet he didn’t move away from the door.  
He took a deep breath, cursed at himself, pushed the door handle down and was standing in the hallway before he could ponder on it any longer.

The entire house was dark and eerie. A shiver ran down his back.  
He thought about going back but his attention was drawn to the ray of light that shone through the small slit under Jane’s bedroom door.  
Was she still awake?  
Robin made his way over to her door, his bare feet making no noise on the cold stone floor.  
He raised his hand slightly to knock but let it hover in the air.  
No, this was wrong. He’s not a child, why should he bother her just because he couldn’t sleep? It was ridiculous.  
He turned on his heels and walked back to his room before stopping in the doorway.

His room was already dark, all the candles had died a while ago.   
He really didn’t want to go back there.   
For a second he stared at the floor.   
He felt out of place, and lost, and lonely and he was sick of drowning in self-pity.

In the heat of the moment, he closed the door to his room, turned around again and knocked on Jane’s door all within a few seconds.  
His heart skipped a few beats and only the soft “come in” from her room made him release the breath he was holding the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> special thanks and credit to jannieka394 for helping me put all of this together <3


	5. Chapter 5

Robin hesitated to open the door. He felt so foolish but he had come this far so he might as well go through with it.  
He slowly pushed the door handle down, wincing at the sudden noise as he pushed the door open as slowly as possible.  
Her room was softly lit with multiple candles placed all round. It looked similar to his, just a little more lively.  
“Robin.”, she sat up a little from her position in the middle of her bed, the book she was reading moments ago placed in her lap with one of her fingers marking the page.  
“What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?”  
He stood awkwardly in the doorway, nodding his head.   
“Oh poor thing. Come here.”, she scooted over and patted the now empty spot with her hand.  
She laughed lightly when he hesitated.  
“I swear, I won’t bite.”  
His face felt hot as he quietly closed her door behind him and made his way over to her.  
“Here.”, she pushed the blanket aside so he could slip in besides her.  
He knew that this would be considered inappropriate but he couldn’t bring himself to care at all, especially if it meant that he wouldn’t have to be alone.  
“Why are you still awake?”, he asked her after he was finally settled in beside her.  
“I picked up this book earlier today and I can’t bring myself to go to sleep without knowing how it ends.”, she smiled a little.  
“Why can’t you sleep?”, she asked and turned to look at him.  
He was nervously fiddling with his hands in his lap.   
“Hey.”, Jane grabbed both of his hands with hers, the book in her lap forgotten for the moment.  
“I know it’s not easy to admit that there’s something wrong but you know I’m here for you if you want to talk, okay.”   
Robin looked at her with sad eyes.  
Why was she so nice to him? No one ever bothered to even ask how he was doing and now there was this strange young woman that was willing to drop anything else just to make sure that he was alright.   
He barely noticed the single tear running down his cheek until she softly brushed it away with her thumb.   
She looked at him for a while longer before pulling him into a hug.  
One of her hands went up to run through his hair, detangling his messy curls in the process.  
Robin wrapped both of his arms around her and held her tight while burying his head in the crook of her neck. 

“What is it that’s been bothering you so much lately.”, she murmured while still stroking his hair softly.  
They laid down a while ago to be in a more comfortable position.   
“I just don’t know what to do, I suppose.”, he admitted, his breath fanning over her collarbone as he spoke.  
“You never thought you’d get away from the castle?”  
“No.”  
“Well,”, she started, twirling a strand of his hair around her finger.  
“You can do whatever you want to do. Nothing is off the table.”, she paused.  
“Though I wouldn’t recommend manslaughter that usually gets you to jail, or more likely hanged. But other than that?”  
He laughed slightly.  
“You make it sound easy.”, he mumbled.  
“Oh, because it is. But let me get you in on a secret. You really don’t have to figure it out straight away, so it’s alright if you don’t know today, even tomorrow, hell, even three months from now.”  
He let those words sink in but didn’t say anything otherwise.  
Jane used the hand that wasn’t currently tangled in Robin’s hair to fish for the book that had been abandoned earlier.   
She struggled to find the page where she left off and decided to just pick a part that she knew she already read.  
The candlelight was just enough to make out the words on the slightly yellow pages and she started to softly read out loud.  
Robin could feel his eyes becoming heavier by the second. He couldn’t even concentrate on the story since he was so focused on not falling asleep in order to enjoy her soft ministration on his head a while longer.  
His efforts were still in vain as he slowly drifted off to sleep a few minutes later.  
Jane could feel his breath evening out which confirmed that he had indeed fallen asleep.  
Her gaze drifted to her bedside table where the shiny golden bracelet lay undisturbed.  
She knew that she was slowly running out of time but she couldn’t just leave Robin behind like that, it wouldn’t be fair.  
Jane stared at the ceiling, thinking about leaving him caused her heart to ache more than she allowed herself to admit.  
A string of curses threatened to leave her mouth but she kept it in, in courtesy of the peacefully sleeping boy in her arms.  
She never intended to develop any feelings for anyone while she was here and apparently she failed miserably and now this curly haired, brown eyed, dagger wielding idiot was slowly evolving to become the center of her universe and it delighted and frightened her at the same time.  
She still continued to brush through his hair as she mentally cursed herself for letting her get attached to him like that until she too felt herself drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, Jane was the first one to wake up.   
It took her a moment to regain her bearings, the events from last night flooding back as she sat up.  
She turned to look at the other side of the bed, to find Robin still sleeping peacefully and she smiled at the image and tried to ingrain it into her mind.  
A strand of curly hair hung in his face and she slowly brushed it away carefully as to not wake him up.  
Jane laid back down and propped her head up on her arm as she watched him sleep a little while longer.  
He looked so at ease and had he always been this... pretty?  
She shook her head, no, she should definitely not think like that.   
But he scrunched his nose in his sleep and Jane had to roll back onto her back and stare at the ceiling with her hand covering her mouth to stop her from squealing. It should not be allowed to be this adorable.  
Her head was still a little foggy as she ran a hand over her face and decided that the best course of action would be to let him sleep and to get breakfast.   
The idea of a hot cup of fresh coffee was enough to tempt her to get out of bed, even though she flinched as her bare feet hit the cold floor.

When Benjamin and Loveday entered the dining room, Jane was already sitting at the table with a single cup of coffee in front of here while she stared at the wall.  
“Are you... alright?”, Benjamin asked, followed by Lovedays cheerful: “Good Morning”  
The brunette shook her head like she just came out of a trance like state, which was not too unlikely.  
“Oh, good morning. I’m fine, I just stayed up way past my bedtime and now I’m waiting for that sweet caffein to work it’s magic.”, she smiled weakly.  
Loveday chuckled.  
“So, how did it go?”  
“Pretty well actually.”, she took a sip from her cup.  
“Robin is still asleep though. I reckoned he needed some rest so I let him sleep.”  
The other woman hummed in response.  
“Huh, speak of the devil.”, Benjamin said before Robin appeared in the doorway seconds later.  
He was already clad in his usual attire, minus his hat and with his hair still slightly disheveled.  
“G’morning.”, he murmured, grinning at Jane who nodded to the empty spot beside her.  
“How was your first night?”, his sister asked sweetly as he sat down.  
“Very good.”, he answered truthfully and the brunette next to him had to suppress a smile.  
Digweed started serving them breakfast and the conversation turned into casual chatter, mainly between the two de Noir siblings and the younger Merryweather.

“Digweed, could you go and get Maria? She is late for breakfast, again.”, Benjamin requested after even Miss Heliotrope had joined them as well.  
Digweed scurried away but Maria’s steps already echoed through the halls while she eagerly dashed down the stairs. She apologised quickly after she nearly bumped into the servant on her hasty way to the dining room.  
The young girl skittered to a stop right in front of the open door.   
“When did you arrive yesterday?”, she asked with excitement and leaned onto the table with her hands.   
Jane chuckled.  
“Yes, good morning to you too.”  
“Maria, where are your manners?”, Miss Heliotrope chided.   
Benjamin rolled his eyes, still not used to the house being so lively, especially not this early in the morning.   
The two young adults in question looked at each other as Maria slid into her seat sheepishly.  
“But tell me, I wanted to wait for you but it got way too late. What took you so long?”  
Robin leaned slightly forward.  
”Has no one taught you to not be so nosy all the time?”  
Jane jabbed him with her elbow slightly as Maria stuck her tongue out at him.  
“Come on kids, play nice or you both get grounded.”, she told both of them, making Robin stick his tongue out at her instead.  
She looked at him with a blank face.   
“I did not know they’ve been handing out such audacity for free again.”, she mumbled and shoved a piece of bacon into her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> special thanks and credit to jannieka394 for helping me put all of this together <3


	6. Chapter 6

“Hey.”, Jane poked him with her elbow. “Let’s go, I have to show you something.”, she whispered before she pushed her chair back and got up, excusing herself, and leaving the dining room, Robin trailing behind her.  
He would have thought that Maria would follow them as well; she might have actually intended to; only to hear her governess scolding her for barely touching her food.

“You have to promise me, that you won’t tell Benjamin about it though.”, Jane said as she opened the door and stepped outside, the crisp morning air already nipping on her skin.  
He followed her, unsure of where this was going, but he trusted her enough to know that it couldn’t be anything bad.  
Still, he was rather surprised when she led him to the barn on the other side of the mansion and pulled him inside before closing the door again.  
“I don’t know where they came from but when I saddled Brandy yesterday, they were just… there. And so many of them too.”   
At first he didn’t understand what she was talking about until they walked further into the large wooden building.  
The high pitched mewling was a huge indicator on what Jane wanted to show him and when she moved an old blanket away from a small nook in the far back of the barn, they were greeted by at least half a dozen kittens all looking at them with big eyes.  
“I snuck a few things out here to keep them warm because Benjamin absolutely despises cats. He would never allow me to take them inside…”, she knelt down to pick one of them out of the fluffy heap of heads and tails and paws, cradling the small feline in her arms.  
“How do you ‘just find’ a bunch of cats.”, he asked and knelt down beside her.  
“I don’t know, they weren't there before but they're too old already to have been born here.”, she scratched the animal's tiny head and it started purring in return.   
Robin watched her as she coddled the fluffy thing with a grin on his face, especially as she started talking to it in a funny voice.  
She stopped when she realized that he was watching her and chuckled in embarrassment.  
“They won’t bite, you know.”, she pointed at the rest of the kittens.  
“Oh no, I’m good.”, he held his hands up in defense.  
Jane rolled her eyes and grabbed one of his hands before placing the kitten she was holding in it with care.  
He was unsure on what to do, he had never held a small cat before. It was so tiny and fragile that he was afraid he might hurt it.   
She could see his hesitation and encouraged him to just follow her lead as she grabbed another kitten and petted it softly.  
He watched her again, the tiny being in his hand squirming until he mimicked her movement and stroked the cat’s small head tenderly.  
Jane looked up to see Robin softly caressing the small kitty in his palm with a mesmerized smile on his lips. He was so immersed in the tiny creatures mews and purr and the feeling of its soft fur under his fingertips, that he didn’t even notice the brunette staring at him with an affectionate smile on her lips.

“You know, as adorable as they might be, I’ll never be not annoyed at all the cat hair everywhere.”, she chuckled while plucking the short pieces of hair off of her sleeves.  
“You can’t have one without the other.”, he laughed as she desperately tried to get the rest of the hair off by rubbing her hands furiously up and down her clothes.  
“Ah, I guess this will just have to do.”, she said in defeat.  
They had decided to stay outside a while longer and enjoy a walk through the mansion's vast garden.  
Everything was still covered with dew and gave it an ethereal appearance, something that Jane enjoyed greatly.  
The air was still quite chilled and the thin layer of fabric did nothing to keep her from shivering a little.  
When Robin noticed her shivering, he did the first thing that came to his mind, which was shrugging off his jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders.  
She was startled since she didn’t notice him taking off his jacket in the first place but appreciated the gesture nonetheless.   
“I never thought you’d be the chivalrous type.”, she teased him as they continued their walk.

Jane could tell that Robin was much more at ease than he was the day before, he smiled more, he talked more and his mood had improved drastically. She smiled thinking how she might be the reason behind it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> special thanks and credit to jannieka394 for helping me put all of this together <3


	7. Chapter 7

It was the sound of someone nearly tearing the mansion’s front door down that drew their attention immediately  
Jane looked at Robin, her face most likely as pale as his.  
The intense yells and screams that accompanied the loud banging were enough to let them know who it was. They rushed towards the entrance. Jane's heart was nearly beating out of her chest and everything inside of her screamed to take Robin and get as far away as they possibly could before he would find them but she couldn’t let Robin’s father hurt anyone else in the manor.  
No, she had to stop him, and she had to stop him right now.

Meanwhile, Benjamin made his hasty way down the stairs the second he heard the first loud hit against the door that echoed through the entire building. Loveday was close behind him, already preparing for the worst. She exchanged a worried look with Maria as she passed her and Miss Heliotrope in the hallway, both concerned due to the sudden noise. The enraged voice of Coeur de Noir could be heard all over the house only a second later.

“Merryweather!”, his voice was booming.  
Benjamin met him halfway down the hall and Coeur continued.  
“Where is he?!”, he demanded, shoving Benjamin against the wall.  
“Father, stop!”, Loveday rushed to her husband's side to push her father away from him.  
Coeur turned around just as Jane and Robin came through the front door.  
“You!”, he angrily pointed at Robin who flinched in response.  
“You will get back to the castle right now, or so help me god!”  
,,No.”, Jane took a few steps forward in order to keep both de Noirs away from one another.  
“No? He’s my son, you stupid witch!” Coeur yelled. Robin was about to lunge at his father but Jane held him back, eyeing the gun that was strapped around Coeur’s waist.  
“No.”, she repeated without raising her voice. Yelling back wouldn’t get her anywhere. She had to get her point across without being threatening enough as to turn this into a physical fight.  
“You don’t get to call him your son if you only do so because it gives you power over him. You only get to call him your son when you actually start to act like a father and stop treating him like a mangy dog.”  
She glared at him fiercely.  
“All this time he tried to do everything you wanted him to do, he was at your beck and call and yet all you ever did was belittle, hurt and humiliate him. So far no one ever bothered to stand up for him but let me tell you, should you ever try to even lay as much as a finger on him again you will deal with me, and trust me, it won’t end pretty.”  
She could see Maria and Miss Heliotrope standing at the top of the stairs, both unsure of what to do.  
Her mind was racing, she had to think of something to calm Coeur down and she had to think of something fast but the severity of the situation mixed with her sheer anger, made it incredibly hard to think.  
“Why do you even stick your nose into business that is not your own?!”, he yelled at her.  
“Because I love him.”  
Oh god, she did not just say that.  
Jane froze, her own words echoing in her mind.  
She could feel Robin's stare on her and in that very moment she wished she could just disappear, or at least bury herself in the ground right where she was standing.  
Coeur was just as surprised by her words and was actually silent for a moment.  
No one said a word and everyone was either staring at her or at Coeur de Noir, waiting for what was about to happen next.

Robin was the first one to move, stepping beside Jane before grabbing her hand softly.  
She turned her head and looked at him with a mixture of embarrassment and confusion.  
“And I love her.”, his voice cracked slightly while uttering those words, yet he still looked directly at her because he wanted her to know that he actually meant it.  
Loveday and Maria both gasped slightly before both squealed as silently as possible so they wouldn’t ruin the moment.  
Jane’s eyes were wide with surprise, she truly expected anything at this point, but this? She really had not seen that coming.  
“You must be out of your mind!”, hollered Coeur.  
“She’s one of those god-forsaken Merryweathers!”  
“Father!”, Loveday meddled in.  
“Might I remind you that I, too, married one of said Merryweathers? The curse is lifted, leave that old family-feud behind, it’s not getting you anywhere!”, she pleaded.  
Coeur opened his mouth to argue with his daughter but Loveday interrupted him.  
“Could we move this conversation somewhere else? I don’t think that we should discuss this in the hallway.”  
She had already approached her father and was dragging him along by his arm; she didn’t want to leave any room for protest. This was a matter that had to be settled.  
“Maria, go to your room please.”, Jane said, still holding Robins hand securely in hers.  
“What? But I want to know what they’re talking about too!”, the younger girl argued from the top of the stairs..  
“Please Maria, do as I say. This is nothing that involves you, but if you want, I can tell you later, okay?”, Jane pleaded.  
Maria tried to argue but Miss Heliotrope came up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
“She’s right my dear. Let’s leave them their privacy.” she said, while already leading the young girl away.  
Jane could still hear Maria’s protest even after they were out of sight.  
Robin squeezed her hand and looked at her affectionately.  
“Are you okay?”, she asked softly.  
“Never better.”, he replied with a smile.

They both waited outside the study agreeing that it would be best if Loveday spoke to her father alone.  
Coeur de Noir was relentless, still throwing insults left, right and center while Loveday tried to convince him that staying at the manor was the best for Robin and that he actually wanted to stay there in the first place as well. Loveday also tried to avoid focusing the conversation on Janes and Robins growing relationship as she didn’t want to enrage her father even more. The entire discussion was to get her father to leave Robin with them and she tried to keep that the main focus even when her father tried to drift off.

Outside the study Jane and Robin were silently listening to the conversation on the other side of the door while Benjamin was pacing restless up and down the hallway.  
“They have been in there forever!”, he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air out of frustration.  
“Shhht”, the both shushed him at the same time.  
All three of them flinched as the door to the study was thrown open violently before Coeur de Noir rushed out with a stoic face.  
He merely glared at Jane and Robin before making his way to the exit without a single word. No one dared to move until they heard the loud crash of the front door slamming shut with brute force.  
Jane slowly turned her head to look at Robin with big eyes, blinking multiple times as he did the same.  
They both leaned forward in sync to peer into the study where Loveday now emerged with a huge smile on her face, Benjamin already rushing to her side.  
“What happened?”, Robin was the first to speak.  
“Oh my dear little brother, he agreed.”, she exclaimed and hugged him tightly.  
“He agreed? Are you sure? He gave us a death glare as he rushed out.”, Jane said skeptically.  
“Of course, he would never admit it like that, so don’t take it too seriously. View it as him giving his approval.”, Loveday suggested.  
“A death glare of approval, great, what more could I want...”, the brunette mumbled.  
“Well at least Robin can stay here as long as he pleases.”, the older woman beamed.  
“By the way, I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about.”, she paused, looking between the two young adults.  
“Now would be a good time, don’t you think?”  
Loveday grabbed Benjamin’s arm and pulled him with her.  
“We’ll leave you to it.” she called over her shoulder before they disappeared around the corner.

It was silent for a while, both of them just standing in the middle of the hallway, still looking in the direction Loveday and Benjamin disappeared in.  
“Well-”, both started at the very same time.  
They looked at each other and laughed.  
“Let’s finish our walk, shall we?”, Jane suggested.  
Robin hummed in agreement.  
“Would you like it back?”, she asked while gesturing to the jacket that was still wrapped around her shoulders.  
He shook his head with a grin.  
“No, it looks good on you.”  
She looked at the ground, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> special thanks and credit to jannieka394 for helping me put all of this together <3


	8. Chapter 8

“You know,” Jane started as they walked through the garden again.  
“Whenever someone would say “love conquers all” I would make fun of them, cursing them even, for being so naive and foolish...”, she paused.  
“But after everything that happened lately, I might just sound like a hypocrite.”   
Robin chuckled.  
“You might, yes.”  
“At least it’s good to know that you father won’t bother anyone anymore. At least for the time being.”, she didn’t even bother to hide the relief in her voice.  
“I have to thank you for that, you know.”, Robin said truthfully.  
“And your sister.” Jane added.  
“I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you.”, he grabbed her hand absentmindedly as they walked.  
“I just… I never thought that I would ever get out of there. I already accepted that my life was just supposed to be like that”, he shrugged.  
“And then you came out of nowhere and changed my mind”  
“Well, you didn’t necessarily make it easy.”, she chuckled.  
“Where would be the fun in that?”, his lips stretched into a grin.  
Jane shot him a playful glare.

They fell into a comfortable silence, just enjoying their little moment, their hands still entwined.  
The brunette looked at Robin, trying her best not to stumble as she did. He appeared to be somewhat lost in thought as his brows were furrowed slightly, just barely enough for her to notice.  
“There is still something else bothering you, am I right?”, she squeezed his hand affectionately.  
A sigh left his mouth after a few moments.  
“I guess you could say that.” his words were mumbled.  
She didn’t want to force him so she waited patiently for him to continue on his own.  
“Loveday told me something a while ago…”  
He stopped in his tracks, making Jane stop right beside him.  
“She told me-. She told me you would leave.” his words were barely audible, as if he was afraid to say them out loud in the first place.  
“Of course she told you…” she mumbled in slight disbelief.  
“So it’s true?”  
He felt a painful pang in his chest, already knowing where this was going. His sister had been right, of course she was, everything was too good to be true.  
“Robin.”, she tenderly placed her hands on both sides of his face to make him look at her. Her heart nearly broke into pieces as she saw the pain in his eyes.  
His jaw was tightly clenched as he tried to suppress the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes.   
Seeing him this upset made her feel like someone ripped her heart straight out of her chest.  
“Oh my dear Robin, I’m not going to leave you, I promise.”, she pulled him into a tight hug which he returned immediately; holding onto her for dear life.  
“I thought about it, I really did, but I couldn’t go through with it in the end. The thought of leaving Moonacre. The thought of leaving you. It was just too cruel. And now it’s too late anyway.”  
“What do you mean?”, he asked as he pulled away from her enough to look at her again.  
She didn’t answer him and instead pushed her sleeve up and brought her left arm in front of him with a smile on her face.  
He was confused as to what she meant until he caught a glimpse of the bracelet. It wasn’t gold like it used to be, rather a dull silver.   
It took him a moment until he was able to connect the dots by himself.  
“Your bracelet... but... that means you can never go back.”  
Robin looked at her, trying to find an answer in her expression but she was still smiling at him.  
“I know. But I figured out that I made my decision a long time ago. And I’m very confident that it was the only right one.”   
Her words slowly sunk in and the more he understood the meaning behind them, the bigger the smile on his face got.  
“Oh god, don’t look at me like that. You might actually get me to believe that you worship the very ground I’m walking on.”, she laughed at him.  
“That might be true but you will never be able to prove that to anyone.” he replied confidently.  
Jane's eyes were wide in surprise.  
“Excuse me?”   
“You’re excused.”, he said before pulling her even closer and pressing his lips to hers for a long overdue kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> special thanks and credit to jannieka394 for helping me put all of this together <3


End file.
